Between September 29 and December 28, 2024, Syria reported over 5 million consultations, with approximately 20.2% being for notifiable diseases. Sentinel surveillance covered 1,942 sites, indicating solid data completeness and timeliness. Leading morbidity causes included ILI and OAD, with significant alerts raised for AWD and measles outbreaks.
From September 29 to December 28, 2024, a total of 5,116,138 consultations were recorded in Syria, with 1,033,312 cases (20.2%) classified as notifiable diseases. These figures stem from the Early Warning, Alert, and Response System (EWARS) and the Early Warning Alert and Response Network (EWARN) in Northwest Syria (NWS) and Northeast Syria (NES).
A combined total of 1,942 sentinel surveillance sites reported to EWARS and EWARN, achieving an average completeness rate of 90.5% and timeliness of 82% for the reported data. A notable 728 alerts were raised, 613 via EWARS and 115 via EWARN, with 618 alerts verified within 72 hours, signifying an alert verification rate of 85%.
During the same period, the leading causes of morbidity reported included Influenza Like Illnesses (ILI) at 708,641 cases (69%), followed by Acute Diarrhea (OAD) at 273,767 (27%), Acute Jaundice Syndrome (AJS) at 15,070 (1%), Leishmaniasis at 13,406 (1%), and Severe Acute Respiratory Infection (SARI) at 8,376 (1%) among all age groups. Sentinel sites reported to EWARS included 1,517 in the Humanitarian Country Team (HCT) operational areas, and 425 to EWARN in both NWS and NES, with a commendable average completeness of 93% and timeliness of 87%.
The EWARS/EWARN bulletin for the latter part of 2024 highlights crucial data on disease consultations and morbidity in Syria. A substantial portion of consulted cases were classified as notifiable diseases, with significant ongoing outbreaks of AWD and measles. Proportional morbidity indicates that ILI is the predominant illness, emphasizing the need for enhanced health responses in the region.
Original Source: reliefweb.int
